Final push on for digital projector drive

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

The next stop on the drive to raise money to purchase a new digital projector for the Rogers City Theater is Posen for the annual Potato Festival.

Organizers will be carrying a banner in this Sunday’s grand parade, as they search for new backers of the project with three weeks to go. As of Tuesday, they needed to raise about $29,000.

The total amount pledged was at $70,904 as of 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, or about $2,000 a day. About $1,200 a day is needed to reach the final goal of $100,000. If more than that is pledged, money will go to replace seats.

CINDY AND Paul Marshall display the banner that will appear in Sunday’s parade in Posen. (Photo by Peter Jakey)

This weekend, theater owner Karl Heidemann said he will not be showing a movie, because, historically, it has been difficult competing with the activities in Posen. However, the selection was fairly thin this weekend for available titles in the film format.

There are better movies available, but they were only available in the digital format. So, even though the film studios have indicated they would be switching exclusively to digital in 2014, it already is having an impact. Heidemann said film trailers are already becoming hard to get.

The fundraiser is being facilitated on the www.kickstarter.com Web site.

“We are starting to get people who are not used to using the Internet directly,” said Rachel Goodstein, who has been spearheading the project. “They are getting their children and their grandchildren to help them, which frankly, for this kind of campaign, is actually a good thing. Then, the Internet using child, or grandchild, helps to spread the

world. That is how this works.”

She said the project depends on the community, the people they contact, and those in the world interested in supporting theaters and the arts.

One donation of $10 was received from a backer in Santa Cruz, California. So, the pledges continue to come in from all over.

The Presque Isle District Library in Rogers City is hosting a computer class for first-time Internet users. The Constance Jordan Conference Room at the Rogers City branch has been reserved by Kickstarter campaign organizers.

To contribute, click on the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/592037365/save-the-rogers-city-theater/pledge/new?clicked_reward=false&ref=live